1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape dispenser and more particularly to a rotary tape dispenser with improved characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional tape dispensers are generally classified as either portable ones or desktop ones. Typically, there is only one roll of adhesive tape contained in either type of tape dispenser. It is also known that there are a variety of rolls of adhesive tapes having different colors or patterns commercially available. For using different tapes, the user has to buy a number of tape dispensers each for containing a roll of adhesive tape. It is evident that such is not cost effective. Alternatively, the user may buy only one tape dispenser. In use a different type of tape, the user simply replaces the old one contained in the tape dispenser with the different type of tape. However, such is not convenient and time consuming if a frequent replacement is required.
A solution to the above drawback is disclosed in a conventional tape dispenser as shown in FIG. 5. The tape dispenser comprises a parallelepiped container A, a cylinder B projected inwardly from a center of a side of the container A, a plurality of rolls of adhesive tapes (three are shown) C wound side by side on the cylinder B, and a blade D along an edge of the container A. The purpose of such design is to enable the user to use a desired roll of adhesive tape at any time without having to replace one roll of adhesive tape with the other. However, the prior art suffered from several disadvantages. For example, it is simply a combination of three tape dispensers with an enlarged container A, a prolonged cylinder B, and a prolonged blade D. Further, any two adjacent rolls of adhesive tapes C may be somewhat adhered together since the adhesive tape is sticky in nature. This may cause an non-smooth pull of the roll of adhesive tape C since one pull of the desired roll of adhesive tape C may together pull one or two adjacent rolls of adhesive tapes C. To the worse, the rolls of adhesive tapes C may get stuck in the container A. Furthermore, the user has to remove the outer roll of adhesive tape first for replacing the empty intermediate or inner roll of adhesive tape. This is very inconvenient in use.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an improved rotary tape dispenser in order to overcome the above drawbacks of the prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary tape dispenser comprising a container including a base having an inlet, an outlet, a pin projected inwardly from about a center, and a cover releasably secured to the base; a circular rotary plate having a portion exposed at the inlet and including, at a side facing the cover, a plurality of cylinders around a central hole, and a plurality of pairs of adjacent guide posts along the periphery wherein the number of the pairs of adjacent guide posts is equal to that of the cylinders; a plurality of rolls of adhesive tapes wound on the cylinders, each of the rolls of adhesive tapes having an open end pulled through the gap between each pair of guide posts; and a blade adjacent the outlet; wherein in an operation, rotate the exposed portion of the rotary plate to turn the rolls of adhesive tapes until one of the rolls of adhesive tapes has turned to a position at the outlet and in response pull the roll of adhesive tape out of the outlet prior to being cut by the blade.
In one aspect of the present invention, the container further comprises an axial pawl on the pin and the rotary plate further comprises a central sleeve projected inwardly from the periphery of the central hole, the central sleeve being put on the pin and an axial ratchet member inside the central sleeve engaged with the axial pawl so that the rotary plate is permitted to rotate only counterclockwise.
In another aspect of the present invention, the cylinders are equally spaced apart around the center of the rotary plate.
In still another aspect of the present invention, the rotary plate further comprises a dust wall at the periphery sized to conform to the outlet.
In still another aspect of the present invention, the container further comprises an inwardly projected center sleeve and an axial ratchet member on the inner surface of the center sleeve and the rotary plate further comprises a central cylinder projected inwardly from the periphery of the central hole, and a central pawl extended outwardly from the bottom of the central cylinder engaged with one tooth of the ratchet member and through the center sleeve so that in the operation, counterclockwise rotate the central pawl to turn the rolls of adhesive tapes until one of the rolls of adhesive tapes has turned to a position at the outlet and in response pull the roll of adhesive tape out of the outlet prior to being cut by the blade.